A packed crowd at Helium witnessed the cream-of-the-cream of Philadelphia comedy last night during the finals of the Philly’s Phunniest Competition. Beginning almost 2 and a half months ago with 165 comedians, the field had been whittled down to 10 Finalists, who took the stage in order to see who would walk away with the title. The was a true spectacle – each comedian was worthy of raucous laughter, wild applause, and probably a $1,000 prize, but there can only be one winner. Surely those who missed out on this will be kicking themselves for a long time… for those unfortunate souls, here’s a taste of what you missed:

Below are the first and last words spoken on stage by each of 2011’s Philly’s Funniest Finalists:

(Comedian – First Word // Last Word)

Host Dave Smith – Thanks // Night

Pat Barker – Thank // Thanks

John McKeever – Hey // You

Chip Chantry – So // Everybody

Gary Vider – Thanks // Evening

Andy Nolan – Alright // Much

Mike Rainey – Alright // Rainey

Tommy Pope – Hey // Thanks

Gordon Baker-Bone – Yeah // Night

Pat House – Thank // Night

Darryl Charles – Yay // Everybody

Headliner Big Jay Oakerson – Thank // Around

Congratulations to all ten finalists, but a little extra congratulations to Tommy Pope who deservedly was named winner of 2011’s Philly’s Funniest. And to everyone who missed the show – you’re welcome!